Monthly Archives: October 2011
When you capture an image, it’s not just a matter of pressing a button.
Every image you take will contain your knowledge and experience, your emotions and your ideas. A photo taken by you will, and should contain the essence of you, and be unique to your vision as an artist.
As a photographer, when you can define a style to your images, your on the right track to becoming a better photographer.
After all, if you can’t get an emotional response from your own work, than how can anybody else?
Unfortunately, by putting your ideas and passion into your photographs, you are making your work dangerously personal. The more connected to your subject, and to your images, the more likely you are to be emotionally affected by what happens to them.
You will be devastated when you find someone using your photo without permission and passing it off as their own. I mean, it will really, really hurt, and far more than you would expect.
And when somebody says something derogatory or negative about your photo, initially it will feel like you’re being stabbed in the heart, even if your head is telling you that criticism is the best way to improve.
The emotional connection between an artist and their work is a double edged sword.
Sure, it’s great to be able to have an emotional connection with the images you’re so proud of, but you also have to be ready, at any moment, to defend those images, and accept the sometime painful criticism that may come with it.
Just take it on board, and carry on shooting.…
I just posted my 500th entry on Blipfoto.com, which is my daily photo journal that I have been contributing to since the 6th August 2009!
Out of my 500 entries, 400 have been every single day in a row. The last time I didn’t post a photo on blipfoto was 24th September 2010.
I’m quite proud of myself to have gotten this far, but thats mostly thanks to the great community of people on blipfoto.
Every comment I have ever received, (and I’ve received 1000′s) has been friendly, positive and encouraging.
In the 2 years I have been on blipfoto, I have clearly become a better photographer. Sometimes through inspiration and encouragement, other times have been out of pure frustration for having a take a photo even single day.
Trust me, there were somedays when it was really, really hard to make time for photography, but I was always thankful when I did.
I have so many favourite images in my journal, I suggest you have a look through if you ever have time, it’s great way to find out more about me and what I do.
Will I make it to 1000? Who knows? But for as long as I am taking photos, I will try my hardest to share them with as many people as I can.
…
The Micro-Nikkor 105mm f2.8 VR is a specialised, but extremely useful lens to have in your bag. The flagship macro lens in Nikon lens line-up as of 2011, this lens pretty much has it all, and has quickly become my second favourite lens to use with my Nikon D700. (After my Nikon 50mm f1.4 G)
To avoid confusion, when Nikon call something “micro”, that actually mean Macro. Which is what the rest of the world calls close focusing lenses. Dedicated macro lenses allow you to get incredibly close to your subject, making them perfect for insects, flowers and food photography, as well opening up a whole world of miniature photography. See here for my post: How Close Is Close?
In addition to being a decent macro lens, you also get a medium telephoto lens, (equivalent to 155mm on DX) with a large bright, aperture of f2.8, which makes it a great portrait lens. And, as the lens is a fixed focal length prime, in theory, the optics should be crystal clear and provide soft creamy Bokeh. And finally, the Nikon 105mm f2.8 also includes VR (vibration reduction) to help alleviate hand shake in low light. Phew. With all of the features, it must be good, right?…
This is more of a wake up to call to myself, than a blog post, but here goes.
Over the last few months, I have had some quite profound realisations. Some have been about the way I approach photography, others are more personal, and about how I approach life in general.
Partly because of my experiences and successes, I feel now, more than ever, that photography, creating art, and capturing the world as I see it and sharing it with others, is what I want to-do. This is what I want to be known for, what I want to live for.
Photography is increasingly becoming part of who I am. Or is it that I am becoming a part of my photography?
Due to this, I feel uncomfortable when I go a few days without using my camera. I feel like I’m wasting time and failing to achieve anything. Learning, growing, and becoming better at what I do is just the way I want to live my life. I don’t want to stand still, or settle for what I know.
I now realise that my passion for being a great photographer extends from my most basic of goal in life, which is to simply be a better person.
Frustratingly, I’ve found myself reluctant to use this information to progress towards my dream. What’s stopping me from taking who I am, and what I want, and turning it into something successful?
The answer is a fear of failure.
I’ve been scared of what might happen when I try my hardest to better myself, and it doesn’t work out. I’ve been afraid of what people will think of me when I mess up.
Right now as I write this post, I’m hoping someone, somewhere will find it inspiring. But another part of me is pretty sure this all makes me out to be a bit of an obsessive idiot.…
Photography can be a very expensive hobby. Cameras, lenses and all of the never-ending associated things required for photography can become a real money sucker.
The good news is that with a bit of creativity, there are also a lot of things that you make or build for next to nothing, and will do as good a job as one you can buy. And let’s face it; I’d rather spend my money on the fun, cool stuff like cameras and lenses, instead of the boring, practical stuff. Wouldn’t you?
So today’s blog post is about how to make a light table for under £10.00!
This DIY product photography table is so simple, but probably one of my most used setups in my studio. I use it for all of my still life and object shots, as well a lot of my food photography too. It works great.
…
After a fun, beautiful morning exploring Westonbirt Arboretum, I decided to do an impromptu photo shoot with Helen amongst the autumnal trees. A couple of beautiful maples in particular caught my eye; they were lit up by the afternoon sun, and the leaves were casting a lovely golden glow.
So, in just 20mins and using just one lens, (the Nikkor 50mm f1.4) I took a couple of nice portraits of Helen in the forest. I’m pretty happy with the photos, and the short spontaneous shoot was a blast. Both of us had a lot of fun messing about with leaves or (attempting) to climb the trees! And Helen did a great job as a model, despite having been up since 5am!
I absolutely love taking photos of people, it’s so nice to be able to interact with your subject and discuss ideas with them. The whole process for photographing a person is so much more rewarding and inspiring than say, just a static object or landscape. Portrait photography is something I really want todo more.
I’d love to hear what you think about these photos, please leave a comment below or on my Facebook page. And if you’d like to see more of the photos taken at the beautiful Westonbirt Arboretum, please check out my Flickr page.
Finally, if you are local to the Gloucestershire area, you can also contact me to arrange a portrait photo shoot and discuss some ideas.…
Yesterday me and Helen got up early and drove to the beautiful Westonbirt Arboretum, just outside Tetbury, here in Gloucestershire.
We were very lucky that the country seems to be going through a little heat wave at the moment, so we had fantastic weather for this time of year. (28’c In October!) The skies were clear, and the sun was shining, making it a great opportunity to photograph some of the first signs of autumn in the 16,000 trees in the arboretum. .
The best light for photography is during what’s called the golden hour. This is the period of time when the sun is either just rising or setting. Getting up early to photograph somewhere like Westonbirt also means you have the place practically to yourself, so you can capture images of the pathways and trails without them being full of people.
We arrived a 6am, just before sunrise, and headed towards the Japanese Maple Garden, but stopped along the way to capture the sunlight seeping through the misty Oak trees. We then spent a couple of hours photographing the warm pink maples, scattered amongst the imposing pines. By 11am, the morning mist had gone, and the great warm weather meant the Arboretum was quickly filling with visitors, making it difficult to photograph the great trees and plants at their best.
So instead, we took shelter under a beautiful birch tree, had some lunch, and then did an impromptu photo shoot! (Here’s a link to the photos from the shoot!)
Overall we had a great day, and I took some really nice images. Westonbirt Arboretum is such a great place; I have no doubt, there is so much I didn’t get to photograph. I think I will be going back in a few weeks, when autumn is really underway….…
In July 2011, I decided I needed another DSLR camera to complement my Nikon D700. This was for 2 different reasons. First, I wanted a camera that could record HD video, to be used for filming future YouTube videos for this blog. And second, I wanted an easy to use entry level camera my girlfriend could have when she’s with me, out on a shoot. Luckily there has never been a better time to buy a DSLR, as manufacturers are squeezing in as many features as they can, even into the entry level models.
The Nikon D3100 sits at the very bottom of Nikon’s 2011 DSLR line-up, costing around £400, but is still a feature rich and excellent performing camera, and a huge step up from the point and shoot cameras most people are used to using. My primary camera, a Nikon D700, sits near the very top of the Nikon DSLR range, and I was interested to see what differences there were (apart from the huge difference in price!)
For this review, I’ll concentrate on three different areas; Video, ease of use, and performance as a backup camera. But first let’s get into the general features of the Nikon D3100.
Specifications
- Sensor: 14.mp CMOS DX Size Sensor
- ISO Range: 100-3200 plus H1, H2
- LCD: 3″ 230k dot LCD
- Autofocus: 11 point AF with 1 cross type sensor
- Metering: TTL, RGB
- Viewfinder: 95% coverage, 0.8x magnification
- Movie Mode: 1080p at 24fps; 720p at 30, 25 or 24fps)
- Media: Supports SD HC/XC
- Dust Reduction, Auto Focus Assist Light, Built In Flash
- Weight: 505g with battery and memory card
- Dimensions: 124 x 96 x 74.5mm
- price: £400.00 - £450 for 18-55mm Kit
In The Box
Most people buying this camera will buy the standard 18-55mm lens kit. In the box, you get the Nikon D3100 body, 18-55mm f3.5 - f5.6 VR II Lens, a surprisingly good Nikon neck strap, a small Nikon EN-EL14 Battery, a small wall charger, and the usual CD of software and user manuals.…
ABOUT THIS BLOG
This is the blog of Chris Scuffins, a hardworking, creative photographer from Gloucestershire.
With years of experience in landscape and commercial still life photography, his focus now lies on capturing creative, natural and beautiful fashion and lifestyle portraiture, as well as a fun, relaxed approach to photojournalistic wedding photography.
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